Interest patterns of students of physical education and of physical therapy as revealed by the Kuder Preference Record

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine whether or not students majoring in physical education or in physical therapy possess a characteristic pattern of interests, as measured by the Kuder Preference Record. In view of the significant role which interests plays in happy vocational adjustment, it was felt that the investigation might yield results that would be helpful in counseling students concerning the two professions involved.
The test was administered toward the end of the college year to 159 students, representing each of the four classes, at Bouvé-Boston School of Physical Education. Two thirds of the group were majoring in physical education, and one third in physical therapy. In accordance with the formula suggested by Sorenson and others, critical ratios were calculated for the differences between the means of the Kuder base group of 1,429 women engaged in various occupations and (1) the entire study group, (2) each of the two sub-groups; and between the means of the two sub-groups. A similar comparison has made between the physical education students in the study group and sixty physical education instructors included in the Kuder group of 2,667 men engaged in various occupations. Critical ratios were considered statistically significant only if they were three or greater. Medians and quartiles of the physical education students were compared with like percentile ranks of a group of 128 women physical education students reported by Barry and included in the Kuder Manual. A survey was made of the means and standard deviations of the two professional groups included in the study, divided according to classes.
The comparison of the study group with the Kuder base group of women indicated that the study group as a whole ranked significantly higher on the mechanical and social service scales, and the Kuder group significantly higher on the computational, clerical, and literary scales. The physical therapy students scored significantly higher in the scientific area than either the Kuder base group or the physical education students. The scientific area was the only one in which a significant difference was found between the two sub-groups in the study.
In comparing the scores of the physical education students with those of male physical education instructors, statistically significant differences were found to exist in the scientific, artistic, and musical areas. Since, however, studies of other investigators had indicated that almost invariably men score higher than women in scientific interests, and women score higher in artistic and musical interests, it was felt that there was actually a close resemblance betveen the patterns of interests of the tvo groups in question. Further indication of the existence of a characteristic interest pattern for students of physical education was found in the comparison of the scores of the Bouvé-Boston School students with those of other women physical education students as reported by Barry. It was impossible to make such a comparison for the physical therapy group, owing to the apparent lack of other studies in that field.
The survey of the means and standard deviations of each of the two sub-groups divided according to classes failed to disclose any discernible trend in interest scores from the freshman to the senior years.
The finding (1) of a similarity of interests between the physical education students in the study group and other women students of physical education, as well as male physical education instructors; and (2) of significant differences between the Kuder base group and the physical education students in five interest areas, and between the Kuder base group and the physical therapy students in six interest areas, suggests that the Kuder Preference Record may be useful in determining whether or not a student desiring to enter one of the two professions has an interest pattern similar to that of persons who are already studying or teaching in the field.

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Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University

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